KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 -- The Youth and Sports Ministry is hoping for a bigger allocation in the 2020 Budget, much more than the RM1 billion it was given this year.

Deputy Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said the increase was not just important for the national contingent's preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but also to be spent on sports development at the grassroots level.

“If we have set a target for Olympic gold medals, then I feel it is not just about Tokyo anymore, but (preparations) for Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) as well… so, we have to start with the grassroots now. The ministry also would like to see more funds given to women athletes.

“This is the Minister's (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman) vision, so I hope this request for a higher allocation can be realised,” he said after officiating the opening of the International Sports Law Conference at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) here today. 

The 2020 Budget is scheduled to be tabled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng on Oct 11.

Steven said although this year the ministry received the same Budget allocation as in the previous year, it managed to stretch it through good management strategies that allowed many things to be done. 

This was achieved through cost savings and open tenders, where some 80 percent in savings were made in the Fit Malaysia programme, while the open tender process carried out for the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) race also saw savings up to 30 percent. 

Also present at the event was former Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar.

-- BERNAMA